Posts filed under 'Movie news'
October 28th, 2009
Have you ever dreamed of seeing Adam Sandler playing both the male and female roles in a romantic comedy?
If so, I’m happy to tell you that your sick, twisted dream is about to come true. From Variety…
Adam Sandler is climbing up the hill for Columbia Pictures. The actor will next star in the romantic comedy JACK AND JILL and produce via his Happy Madison shingle. Sandler will play Jack as well as twin sister Jill.
OK, since the characters Sandler is playing are brother and sister, we can be pretty sure they’re not the romantic couple at the center of the story ( I sure hope not!). But after admiring Sandler’s performance in PUNCH DRUNK LOVE and seeing him stretch a bit as an actor in FUNNY PEOPLE, it’s a disappointment to see him fall back into the same dopey comic ruts he’s been stuck in for years. I mean, surely the guy has enough money by now, right?
Oh well. At least it’s being produced by the same guy who brought us PAUL BLART: MALL COP. That means it has to be good, right? Right?
August 31st, 2009
It’s true! Here’s the report from Variety…
LOS ANGELES — The Walt Disney Co. says it is acquiring Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing characters like IRON MAN and SPIDER-MAN into the Disney family. Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters.
Looks like we might see those CAPTAIN AMERICA, THOR and AVENGERS movies a lot sooner than we expected. The Marvel comics super heroes are powerful, but they’re nothing compared to the might of The Mouse.
August 21st, 2009
Bad news for Martin Scorsese fans (including me): Paramount has giving his latest film, SHUTTER ISLAND, the bump, delaying its release date until Feb. 19, 2010.
The insane asylum thriller, based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, was originally slated to open in October, which seemed like the perfect time of year for a movie with that sort of creepy vibe. Plus, a fall release would make sense for a movie by one of America’s finest directors and a cast that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson. Plenty of potential Oscar nominees in there, you know.
And, surprisingly, that might be the problem. According to the Hollywood buzz, the move comes because Paramount didn’t have the money to promote a movie like this the 2009 awards season. The theory goes that (a) in 2010, the studio’s finances may improve and more money will be available for promotion, (b) SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, the last film to sweep the major Oscar categories, opened on Feb. 19 (way way back in 1991) and (c) with 10 Best Picture nominees making the cut, a movie opening early in the year might have a solid shot at a nod.
Whatever. All I know is now I have to wait four more months to see it.
Here, to remind you of how promising this film looked, is the trailer…
July 23rd, 2009
A bit of geek news from the first official day of the San Diego Comic Con: The eagerly awaited sequel to TRON (which, if you’re old enough to remember, hit theaters waaaaay back in 1982) has a name, and it’s not (the admittedly catchy and appropriate TRON 2.0). Here (via Cinematical) is the official logo…
 
And here, (also via Cinematical) is the official plot synopsis:
“TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.”
I was a 14-year-old video game nut in 1982 when TRON hit theaters, so needless to say, I was primed for that film (and the excellent video game that hit arcades at the same time). It’s a whole other world now, but with Jeff Bridges still attached as Flynn, I’m tentatively optimistic. Don’t let me down, Disney.
July 14th, 2009
Here are some bits of news from the world of Hollywood…
RYAN REYNOLDS IS GREEN LANTERN — In the big-budget adaptation of the popular DC comic, Ryan Reynolds, who proved his bravery by co-starring with Sandra Bullock in THE PROPOSAL, will play Green Lantern, a super-hero who’s also a member of an intergalactic police force.
‘KARATE KID’ NOW ‘KUNG FU KID’ — Because Jackie Chan will be playing the teacher role in the much-dreaded remake of THE KARATE KID, and because Jackie is Chinese and specializes in kung fu, the title will be changed. The lead role, unfortunately, will still be played by annoying Will Smith’s son. (Karate is a Japanese martial art, in case you were wondering.)
‘HONG KONG PHOOEY’? REALLY? – In other kung fu-related news, a live-action/animated movie based on the 1970s Saturday morning cartoon HONG KONG PHOOEY is reportedly in the works, with bad director Brett Ratner among the producers. I can’t stress enough what a terrible idea this is. I watched HONG KONG PHOOEY as a kid, and even back then I knew it was an awful cartoon. I can only imagine how bad it’ll be as a full-length movie.
June 26th, 2009
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has cut a Michael Jackson-related scene from BRUNO for the comedy’s Los Angeles premiere today.
In the scene, Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen) interviews an unsuspecting LaToya Jackson and asks several questions about her brother, Michael. The scene had been shown at recent press screenings, and critics hadn’t singled it out as being especially offensive — but that was before Jackson died Thursday.
From the article:
“We decided to take it out for tonight, and we’ll reassess before the release whether to keep it out,” director Larry Charles said at the premiere’s afterparty. A spokesperson for Universal also confirmed that it had not come to any decision on future showings.Â
The studio hasn’t announced whether or not it will include the scene in all prints of BRUNO.
June 24th, 2009
According to an article in Variety, director David Fincher is, as they say, “in talks” to direct THE SOCIAL NETWORK, a movie about the development of Facebook. Script is courtesy of Aaron Sorkin, write of A FEW GOOD MEN, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, and, on TV, THE WEST WING and (ahem) STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP.
“The film will focus on the evolution of Facebook from its 2004 creation on the Harvard campus by sophomore Mark Zuckerberg to a juggernaut with more than 200 million members.”
Look, I love Fincher’s work (FIGHT CLUB is a personal favorite, ZODIAC is arguably the best movie of the 21st century, and even the overlong BENJAMIN BUTTON isn’t bad), but I wonder about a Facebook movie. Sure, it’s popular now, but if the Internet has taught us anything, it’s that there will be another Web fad around before long to grab the public’s attention. Already Twitter has all the buzz (and even it’s getting old). Imagine a movie about MySpace now. Would anyone see it?
June 18th, 2009
According to Cinematical.com, Frank Darabont has spilled the beans that he, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and the rest of the gang are indeed planning a fifth Indiana Jones movie…
“It’s really about the script,” said Marshall. “Once we see that, we’ll see. We’re not going to wait another 20 years. We’d all love to make another one. I’m anxious to hear the idea!” But he quickly added that he really didn’t know what Spielberg was cooking. “Until there’s a script, nothing’s definite. I haven’t heard the idea.” (He should ask LaBeouf. I bet he knows.) Marshall also confirmed that Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford were equally eager to return for a fifth outing. “Yeah. We had a great time making the last one and, as Harrison said, we need to make this one soon. We’re not getting any younger.”
Well, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL was a disappointment to virtually ever critic and moviegoer who saw it (this guy included), but it’s hard to argue with a 700-million-plus global box office.
Speaking of Darabont, you know what’s a good movie? THE MIST, which he directed. Much better than CRYSTAL SKULL, in fact.
June 2nd, 2009
We all know about the STAR WARS prequels, and depending on how you view time travel, TERMINATOR SALVATION was arguably a prequel to the other TERMINATOR movies (Sure, it took place after them, but it also took place before John Connor sent Reese back in time to the era of the original TERMINATOR — and yes, it’s confusing. Time travel always is.) So it should be no surprise that there’s another sci-fi prequel in the works: ALIEN.
According to Cinematical.com, director Tony Scott (brother of Ridley, who directed the original ALIEN) has said during a PELHAM 1-2-3 interview that Fox has OK’d the ALIEN prequel, though he won’t be directing — Carl Rinsch will.
If you remember — and you can be forgiven if you don’t; ALIEN hit theaters 30 years ago — the original movie begins with the crew of the space freighter Nostromo hear a distress signal, go down to a planet and find lots of alien eggs in a wrecked spaceship. A crew member (John Hurt) peeks into one, it shoots an embryo into his helmet and the rest is horror sci-fi history.
So will this prequel be the story of that ship? The pilot, as you can see by the photo above, was giant, so I have to think any prequel will be more human-centered. One thing’s for sure — it’ll be tough to match the original (or James Cameron’s shoot-em-up sequel, ALIENS).
May 13th, 2009
This one’s been buzzed about for years (decades?), but according to Nikki Finke’s blog, Martin Scorsese, the greatest Italian American director of all time, has signed a deal to make a biopic of Frank Sinatra, the greatest Italian American performer of all time. Here’s what Finke says:
I’ve just learned that Universal has acquired this project based on the life of Frank Sinatra from Mandalay Pictures. Phil Alden Robinson is writing the screenplay, and Marty Scorsese will direct as well as produce through his Sikelia Productions. The Sinatra family gave its permission, which is not easy to get, and youngest daughter Tina Sinatra will be an executive producer along with Robinson and Garry LeMel, the former president of Warner Bros music division and himself a musician.
I hope that “permission” from the Sinatra family doesn’t mean we’ll get a sanitized portrait of the Chairman. If any performer’s life and legend gains strength from the darker parts of his history, it’s Frank’s.
No word on casting, but you can bet another Italian American name will be at least mentioned: D-I-C-A-P-R-I-O.
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